This invention relates to materials handling and, more particularly, to mounting materials handling tools (e.g., buckets, blades, rippers, augers and the like) on, for example, dippersticks of backhoes.
The changing of materials handling tools mounted on a backhoe dipperstick traditionally has been a laborious and timeconsuming job. In recent years there have appeared suggestions for simplifying this task by connecting different tools to, rather than replacing, the bucket; and by providing connecting mechanisms on the tool and dipperstick which reduce the time and effort required for tool change-over. Such schemes have suffered from various drawbacks, however. Principal among these are the need for precise vertical alignment of the tool and dipperstick, the inability of the backhoe operator either to change tools himself or to make the change without either leaving his seat, the necessity of manually locking each tool to the dipperstick or bucket, the danger presented by improperly or incompletely connected tools, and the requirement that a different set of tools be provided for each size or type of backhoe.